SPARTA — A bride-to-be is mourning and a local racetrack’s officials are stunned following the death of a motorcycle racer who crashed Friday night.

Police say Bradley Schaafsma, 32, of St. Thomas was killed in the single-vehicle crash after crossing the finish line at St. Thomas Raceway Park, located on Sparta Line in Central Elgin. Police and emergency crews were called to the scene at about 9:30 p.m. Friday.

Investigators determined Schaafsma lost control of his motorcycle after crossing the finish line, Elgin OPP said.

Schaafsma’s fiancee told The Free Press Saturday that she’s in shock. His parents, she noted, live in Chatham.

“He was kind and caring and loving,” she wrote on social media on Saturday. “Brad was the most amazing person to me, my family and to everyone who knew him.”

Schaafsma was a motorcycle instructor and taught weekend courses at Fanshawe College.

Former students — Tom Root, James Tidmand and Colin Skinner — usually gather with friends and their motorcycles in downtown London. On Saturday night, they said they were shocked to hear about Schaafsma’s death.

“It’s really surprising to hear that something like that can happen to someone who’s not just a newbie,” Skinner said. “He knows the track and the dangers and everything involved.”

Schaafsma was one of the younger instructors at Fanshawe, Root said, and really got along with the younger riders. Root said he looked up to him as an instructor.

“He was showing all the young guys how to do things right,” Root said.

Tidmand said instructors at Fanshawe really focused on safety precautions for new motorcyclists and that Schaafsma “taught (him) a lot.”

“They really hammered the safety aspect into you,” Tidmand said.

The racetrack was open and busy early Saturday afternoon. Its owner, Jay Morse, says he and his staff are in mourning over the fatal crash, which he described as rare.

“It’s tragic,” Morse said.

Morse described his racetrack as one of the safest places to race due to the safety precautions and inspections in place. He said emergency crews are also always on site.

“But it’s part of the deal here,” Morse said. “If things go bad, we’re here and last night they took a turn for the worse.”

Morse said racers have to sign waivers and the raceway ensures they have all the safety equipment necessary and that vehicles are inspected.

Schaafsma’s bike was like new and “barely” had damage on it, Morse said.

Morse has owned St. Thomas Raceway for eight years and he said during that time there have been “a couple accidents but nothing drastic like (Friday) night.”

Schaafsma’s former students — Root, Tidmand and Skinner — agreed that if someone wants to go fast, the racetrack is the best place to do it.

But they also said as motorcyclists, they’ve accepted the risk that something could go wrong.

“It is the unfortunate truth of what we’re doing,” Skinner said. “We are exposed and we only have a helmet most of the time to protect us, maybe a jacket or jeans.”